ISLAMABAD: Following a successful debut season in 2017 in India, the franchise based Super Boxing League (SBL) is looking to make a splash across the border.
SBL Pakistan will be organized in association with Punjab Sports Board (PSB) and World Boxing Council (WBC) from September 28 to November 03 at the Amir Khan Boxing Academy Islamabad.
Co-founded by British businessman Bill Dosanjh (CEO) and British boxer of Pakistani origin Amir Khan (the face of SBL globally), SBL Pakistan will comprise of 8 franchise teams from the country’s major cities, including Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, Faisalabad, Multan, Sialkot and Quetta.
“For a transparent and successful inaugural edition SBL Pakistan, WBC will be supervising the entire tournament, the best of Pakistani and international talent and present world class, captivating fights,” an official release states.
Taking a cue from the templates of franchise based leagues across the border, the league will have cricketers and entertainment celebrities as team owners, notable names being Wasim Akram, Shahid Afridi, media mogul Salman Iqbal and music maestro Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.
Afridi co-owns the Pakhtoon Warriors with one Zeshan Afzal, while Akram is the absolute owner of the Multan Nawabs franchise. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan co-owns Faisalabad Falcons with Salman.
The event will spread over 6 weeks with league fights of 6 matches a day on weekends (Friday, Saturday & Sunday). Each of the 6 matches will feature 5 male fights and 1 female fight.
Dosanjh said: “We continue to witness an appetite for combat sports globally. Boxing leads the way as the biggest and most globally commercialized full-contact sport. It attracts a significant proportion of the youth population, proving there is a genuine market for further consumption of the sport. We are unique in the combat sports fraternity, as we have created the world’s first team based league tournament. Super Boxing League’s (SBL) vision is to create a Global Boxing League with a local eco system. SBL is encouraging boxing talent to make it big in the ring.
“Following the success of our debut season in 2017 in India, I’m extremely excited to launch SBL in Pakistan with my partner Amir Khan, who is the founder of Super Boxing League Pakistan & the face of SBL globally. Pakistan has a huge talent pool for boxing. A lot of aspiring athletes wish to turn professional and they all just need the right platform. The SBL gives fighters that opportunity and we will ensure these professional athletes get the recognition they deserve.”
Khan added: “I am very excited to introduce Super Boxing League as a unique platform in Pakistan. It’s a dream come true. SBL is not just an event in the country but a major milestone for boxing in Pakistan. With SBL Pakistan, we aim to provide the right training to potential boxers which will help in producing more professional world champions. We want to create an exciting platform where talent can fight in front of their home fans in their own country. With such a talent filled nation, I believe Pakistan can produce many Muhammad Alis.”
Commenting on the association, Mauricio Sulaimán Saldívar, president, World Boxing Council said: “It was always our intention to empower the league with our expertise and set some key benchmarks in organizing an event of this stature. We are excited to nurture these pugilists and are confident that Super Boxing League Pakistan will be able to build a stronger future for the sport in the country and globally.”
“We are honored to be part of Super Boxing League Pakistan. It is imperative that professional boxing is taken up seriously and a tournament like this will just be the shot in the arm it needed. We will together work towards embracing all aspects of development of the sport and elevate the level of professional boxing in Punjab.” says Muhammad Aamir Jan, secretary YASAT / DG Sports Punjab.
Salman Iqbal – co-chairman – SBL Pakistan & CEO – ARY Digital Network, said: “I am very excited to be the Co Chairman of Super Boxing League Pakistan along with Amir Khan and Bill Dosanjh. SBL will be a force to reckon with in the boxing fraternity. SBL will get recognition for Pakistani boxing talent at a global level. It’s a milestone for every upcoming boxing talent in Pakistan. We are proud to nuture these pugilists and I am sure they will make their soil proud by representing themselves globally as the icons of SBL Pakistan very soon.”
SBL Pakistan in its first season has a mix of experience and youth with bringing in talent across the following categories: Featherweight – 57 kg, Welterweight – 66.7kg, Middleweight – 72.57 kg, Super Middleweight- 76.2 kg, Heavy weight – unlimited and Female super fly – 52.16 kg. Each team will comprise of 10 male and 2 female in squad to hold the fort for their respective franchises.
Arsalan Hyder Shah – COO Super Boxing League Pakistan added: “It’s about time we pack a power punch and knockout the hurdles & setup the ecosystem of a healthier sports lifestyle, Pakistan is blessed with immense talent in the sports industry, we are just taking a leap in the right direction at the right time, are ready to rub shoulders with the big boys.”
While it would be natural to assume that ARY will be the host broadcaster seeing as the network’s chief executive has been named SBL Pakistan co-chairman (and co-owns a franchise), the organisers have stated that the live telecast rights will go to the “highest bidding broadcaster”.
Globally, SBL has signed agreements with Fox Network for Asian markets, Tencent – QQ Penguin for China and with Sky Sports for New Zealand, claiming a broadcast outreach to over 900 million homes in about 50+ countries.
